


untie the balloons around my neck and ground me

by minjilix



Series: you're the universe im helpless in [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Amusement Parks, Coffee Shop Owner Lee Felix, Established Relationship, First Dates, Florist Han Jisung | Han, Fluff and Angst, Han Jisung | Han & Lee Minho | Lee Know are Best Friends, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Jealousy, Lee Felix & Seo Changbin are Best Friends, Lee Felix is Whipped (Stray Kids), Lee Minho | Lee Know is Whipped, M/M, Mentioned Kim Seungmin, Tattoo Artist Lee Minho | Lee Know, Tattoo Artist Seo Changbin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28406166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minjilix/pseuds/minjilix
Summary: "yes—well— i panicked, okay? i wasn't sure i could spend a whole date alone with him without doing anything stupid so i thought i'd make it a double date so you could make sure i don't do anything stupid—" he sucks in a breath and felix says,"you know we are gonna be the ones to encourage you to do the stupid thing, right?""i am aware of that now, yes."
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin, Lee Felix & Seo Changbin, Lee Felix/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Series: you're the universe im helpless in [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1846822
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	untie the balloons around my neck and ground me

**Author's Note:**

> i honestly dont even know where i was going with this i just started writing it bc i wanted some soft minlix and uhh this came out
> 
> title from 20 dollar nose bleed by fall out boy 

"i'm tellin' you," jeongin says around a mouthful of ice cream "he's gonna chicken out, as always." 

felix laughs, bumping his shoulder with the younger boy, "have a little faith in him," 

he looks over at changbin a few paces ahead of them, who seems to be giving himself a pep talk before approaching the florist just some steps away on the sidewalk, watering the many flowers surrounding the shop.

"i'm sure he can do it this time." 

"oh come on! they've been dancing around each other for  _ months _ , why is today any different?" 

jeongin is right— changbin and jisung had been toeing the line between friend and something  _ more _ for almost three months, never really coming to a close with their awkward flirting and longing gazes when they thought the other wasn't paying attention. it was funny at first, to tease changbin and make fun of his inability to keep calm around the florist, but after the first few weeks it grew annoying and worrying. 

at this point they are more likely to end up dating someone else than each other—hell, jisung seemed two bad pick up lines away from asking felix or minho out. even though he probably wouldn't actually do it considering he's well aware of their  _ taken  _ status, but it speaks volumes to both his and changbin's uselessness. 

still, today was different because—

"is jisung's birthday, and changbin said he was gonna make it special by asking him out, or something." 

jeongin laughs, almost dropping his ice cream cone. 

"god he's such a narcissist sometimes," 

"nah, just a little too confident."

"same thing," he waves his free hand as if dismissing felix's comment. 

they watch silently as their older friend makes his way towards the florist, hands stuffed in his pockets and steps almost too relaxed to not be fake. felix can't hear what they are saying from where they are sitting on the curb in front of the flower shop, but by the way jisung looks surprised and then breaks out in a blinding smile while changbin's ears go red, he can guess that his friend finally made a move.

"wait—" jeongin says suddenly, hand raised, "you mean to tell me you and jisung are just one day apart!?"

felix blinks, a little taken aback by jeongin's loud volume. 

"yes..?" 

"you're basically twins!" for some reason jeongin seems delighted and terrified by that revelation. he laughs and claps the younger boy on the shoulder. 

his boyfriend had said the same thing, reasoning that that must be the reason why him and jisung got along so well, and why minho liked jisung that much. 

( _ "must be a virgo thing,"  _ minho laughed.

_ "seungmin is a virgo too,"  _

_ "...nevermind then is just a you two thing," _

felix clackled and held his boyfriend closer.) 

felix likes the idea of jisung entangling himself more in their lives, the boy is nice and funny and he turns changbin into a mushy soft mass that doesn't care he's being teased as long as he can be close to the boy. and minho likes him too, connects with him in a way felix had never seen someone do before. 

at first he had been a little jealous of jisung, if he was being honest, not only did he take all of changbin's attention away but also minho's. and an irrational part of him kind of disliked him for it, blindsided by the way his boyfriend would smile while recalling a dumb thing the other boy told him the previous day or that morning. 

he knows, has always known, that minho loves him a  _ lot _ , but that didn't stop the ugly feelings of insecurity curling around his throat when he saw just how easy going they were with each other, how minho didn't mind when jisung draped all over him as he tends to do when he laughs. 

_ he was never that touchy when we first met _ , felix had thought, and then he had felt guilty for it, because minho and him met in totally different circumstances, it was a different minho the one felix had met all those years ago. 

it wasn't after jisung had gushed about changbin for about an hour over the phone with him that felix realized he should be happy for his boyfriend for making a new close friend and going out of his comfort zone in a long while. there was nothing more than platonic feelings between him and jisung, and felix was an idiot if he ever doubted minho in any way. 

he's broken out of his thoughts by jeongin standing up and turning towards him.

"i'm getting more ice cream, wanna come?" 

"sure!" 

he's visiting the tattoo parlor again today, having closed the café early for a well deserved rest and to once again, bring some food to minho after his boyfriend admitted to having skipped breakfast that morning due to waking up late. 

he watches as said boyfriend is now busy tidying around the shop, organizing a wall full of pictures and stencils, both taken and made by him.

the sleeves of his sweater roll down when he raises his arms to hang another picture and felix gets a clear view of the lilac and white flowers inked all over his arm, he never ceases to be amazed by them. 

"so…" changbin says from where he's sweeping the floor, "i asked jisung out yesterday." 

minho hums, "so i've heard," from felix, of course, who excitedly texted him after jisung had texted felix a million heart emojis and a message in all caps saying  _ he finally asked me!!! _

changbin side eyes felix, who just shrugs, before turning to minho again. 

"right, so, i was nervous," 

"i can imagine." 

"so i told him it was a double date," changbin stops what he's doing, "with you and lix." 

minho finally turns towards changbin, a picture of a cat tattoo still in his hand from he untaped it to relocate it.

"you...asked him out...on a double date we never agreed to..?" he sounds more amused than anything else, which seems to calm changbin but does nothing to help with his flushed red cheeks.

"yes—well— i panicked, okay? i wasn't sure i could spend a whole date alone with him without doing anything stupid so i thought i'd make it a double date so you could make sure i  _ don't _ do anything stupid—" he sucks in a breath and felix says, 

"you know  _ we _ are gonna be the ones to encourage you to do the stupid thing, right?" 

"i am aware of that now, yes." 

minho laughs, clearly enjoying changin's misery as always. felix feels a little bad, changbin really seems like he panicked and he needs the moral support. 

"we'll go—" he puts a hand up before changbin can celebrate "but you'll pay for our meals or anything else we want." 

changbin splutters indignantly while minho nods eagerly, giving felix a thumbs up and a pretty smile that almost makes him melt on the spot. 

"fine! but don't embarrass me!" 

"i think you can take care of that by yourself," his boyfriend says. changbin just gives him the finger and goes back to cleaning the floor. 

the date is at an amusement park, because of course both changbin and jisung love amusement parks. felix finds that endearing, laughing silently when jisung beams at them as they approach the location.

changbin pays for all their tickets, even though jisung refuses to accept it and insists on paying for his own. in the end he relents, but tells changbin he  _ will _ be paying for their food, the older boy just smiles and takes jisung's hand to lead him towards the entrance, both of their cheeks red. 

"disgusting, young love." minho says in a lighthearted tone, his own hand finding felix's and intertwining their fingers. 

felix laughs, "hey, we had our first date on an amusement park too," 

it hadn't gone too smoothly, and minho had been too embarrassed to talk to him for a whole week after it. felix remembers it fondly though, laughs at their idiocy and clumsiness of the time.

"ahg, shut up," his boyfriend whines, tugging felix along as he goes to follow the other two boys. "don't remind me of that disaster." 

minho's ears are red and felix can't help but plant a soft kiss on his cheeks, chuckling at how adorable his boyfriend is. 

the rest of the day is spent mostly following their friends around and letting them choose whatever ride or game they wanted to get on, as long as changbin pays, neither of them complain. 

changbin had called it a double date, but it really is just him and minho following them around and making sure he doesn't embarrass himself. even though changbin seems to be doing well — really well, honestly, and felix feels himself smile at the sight of his two friends  _ finally _ making a move. 

and as it turns out, jisung is a very competitive person, so is changbin, there's nothing to stop changbin from when all they are doing is racing each other and making bets on who can win what game first. 

jisung is boasting about whatever game he won this time, hand interlocked with changbin's but still rubbing it in his face that he's better than him at it. changbin just sticks his tongue out at him, and jisung seems ready to do the same thing when he gasps, pointing excitedly somewhere ahead of them.

"look! a photo booth!" 

felix thinks it's adorable how easily amused jisung is, the way he bounces on his feet and his eyes light up when he really likes something. 

he's probably gonna pull changbin into the photo booth and make him do weird ass faces that will later either haunt changbin or make him incredibly annoying and use them as bad really cringy memes. except he doesn't, instead he lets go of changbin's hand and goes over to minho and him.

"hyung, let's take some pictures!" he puts an arm around minho's waist and tugs him forward. "i'm stealing this one for a sec, sorry" he smiles at felix before pushing minho forward and towards the booth. 

felix stands there, watching as his boyfriend laughs and playfully hits jisung on the shoulder, an ugly feeling at the pit of his stomach. 

is that irrational feeling again, the one that makes him feel insecure and, 

"does it not bother you?" he asks changbin, who's also watching as minho and jisung get into the booth, except there's a content smile on his face.

"what thing?" he eyes felix curiously.

"them—i mean, how close they are," he knows what he's saying is stupid as soon as he hears the words, but he can't help it.

"not really...why would it," 

felix shrugs, does not look at changbin and the other boy just keeps assessing him.

"...does it bother  _ you _ ?" 

"a—a bit yeah…" he sucks in a shaky breath "i mean, i've never seen minho-hyung be this close with anyone else, y'know? and like, i don't know they just seem so... _ comfortable _ with each other—" 

he thinks about minho and jisung's playful and easy banter, the way it makes minho smile so prettily and his laugh tumble from his lips, warm and content as he shoves jisung with his shoulder, comfortable in their shared touch. he compares it to the way it had taken almost a year for him to be able to hold minho's hand without the other boy flinching away or looking two seconds away from breaking into a run. it makes something sharp and painful twist inside felix's chest. 

"what if, i'm not good enough anymore? what if he likes jisung or, or he's liking jisung and doesn't want me anymore—god what if he leaves me for jisung?" 

changbin is looking at him with wide concerned eyes, his hands hovering mid air before softly settling on felix's arms.

"really loved the part where you implied my best friend would date the guy i have feelings for right in front of me," 

it takes him a moment to process what changbin just said, with the way his heart is beating too loudly and his head is filled with awful thoughts of minho leaving him, but he can't help but laugh shakily when he understands the words. 

"sorry," 

"nah it's okay," he points a finger towards felix "now you though, you're  _ not _ okay." 

pouting, he says "i'm not," 

"yeah- there's a lot to unpack there, and i mean a  _ lot _ ," felix rolls his eyes "but first, lemme tell you that you're a dumbass and you don't know minho-hyung at all if you think he would ever do that to you, of all people," he opens his mouth to reply but changbin holds one hand up and gives him a stern look. "second, if minho-hyung is able to be this comfortable with jisung and to open up so easily is thanks to you, you helped him come out of his shell and learn how to be okay with other people,

"i think he's amazing and all but a lot of his progress happened after meeting you and getting closer to  _ you _ . besides, isn't it nice for him to have a friend not connected to his past and that can see him as he is now? i think that's partially why hyung is comfortable with him, because jisung got to know the version of himself that he actually likes and is proud of." 

felix gapes at his friend, unable to respond to all of that just yet. 

changbin is right, and felix has nothing to argue against everything he just said. the minho he knew back then isn't the same as this one—well partly it is, at the core of it all it will always be just  _ minho _ , his minho, but he's grown and changed and he let felix in, and he let felix help him, let all their friends put a piece of themselves when mending him, minho himself learnt to be gentle with others and give something back in return. it's not fair to compare his relationship with the older boy with the relationship he has with jisung, two very different circumstances. 

now that changbin puts it all like that and that felix thinks about it rationally,

"well now i feel like an asshole," 

changbin laughs, "you kinda are, you implied not only that my best friend would betray me like that but that the guy i like is leading me on."

felix levels him with an unimpressed look and shoves him away.

the conversation ends there, because seconds later he hears minho's twinkling laugh as him and jisung step out of the booth, pushing and shoving each other around as they walk up to them.

"you should really talk to minho about this," whispers changbin to him before he's practically skipping over to jisung and interlocking their arms. 

somehow, felix managed to distract himself from his conversation with changbin for the rest of the date, focusing on minho and the sweets they forced changbin to buy for them. and maybe the little make out session he had with minho behind one of the food stands helped but that's neither here nor there. 

is almost nine pm by the time they decide to go home, the four of them too exhausted and with early morning jobs to work the next day. minho falls asleep on his shoulder on the car ride back to their apartment, his overgrown brown fair falling in front of his eyes and making him look even cuter than normal. he gives jisung the middle finger when he makes a gagging noise as felix plants a kiss on his boyfriend's forehead.

the cats greet them enthusiastically when they come through the door, a half asleep minho making kissy noises and cooing at them when they tangle themselves in between his legs.

minho is adorable—minho is perfect really, and felix doesn't know what he'd do if he ever lost him. especially if it was because of his dumb insecurities. so later, when they are sitting on the couch and dozing off to a random movie on tv, felix decides is the best time to have a heart to heart talk. 

"hey, hyung?" he says in almost a whisper, one hand carding through minho's hair.

"hmm?"

"i—can we talk?" okay maybe that was not the best way to phrase it, and he regrets it the moment minho goes tense against him, but he doesn't look up at felix. 

"sure…" is all he says instead, and waits for felix to speak again. 

"uh, today i was, well, i was talking to changbin hyung and he made me, like, realize some stuff, y'know- not bad stuff, i mean, i guess for me it is bad? or well—"

"you're rambling, bokkie." minho says, not unkindly. 

"right, sorry," he takes a deep breath, hand still on minho's hair, "we talked about how i...was jealous of jisung, and you. i mean of how close you are," 

is silent for a few, long seconds, before minho is sitting up, facing felix with a frown on his face.

"you were jealous of jisung? why?" 

felix bites his lip, feeling his cheeks heat up. now that he had time to think about it and someone to talk it with he realizes just how dumb his worries were. 

"because," he tries not to sound like a whiny kid "you two are so close and you've only known each other for a while— i mean, yes you've known  _ of _ each other for a year but it was only recently that you became friends and—" minho is looking at him with raised brows and an amused smile now, and it makes felix's heart do a weird little thing, like in between relief and being absolutely gone for this man. "point is, i was worried you...were gonna leave me for jisung and i got jealous." 

minho is silent and then he's giggling, head falling against the back of the couch and hands covering his face. 

"i don't know what's more insulting," he laughs, peeking through his fingers to look at felix with sparkling eyes. "the fact that you think you can get out of this relationship that easy or you implying i would date the man my best friend is in love with." 

felix hits him with a couch cushion and it makes minho laugh harder. felix just smiles and lets the older boy calm down until he's giggling again, eyes shining with the light of the tv and cheeks flushed a pretty red. 

he pulls minho into his lap, arms around his waist as he holds him tight and hides his face in the crooks of his neck.

"baby," minho says, fingers softly combing through felix's hair. "jisung is just a friend, i promise there's nothing between us." 

"i know that, and i'm sorry i thought those things—" 

"shh, it's okay, you don't have to apologize," he gently coaxes felix to look at him, "you know i only love  _ you _ , right? you're the only one i want to be with, felix,"

the smile minho gives him, soft and warm and so full of love, makes him want to tear up. of course he knows minho loves him, hasn't had any doubts of that for a while now, but is nice to hear it, to hear minho reaffirming what they have. hearing that he's  _ worth _ something to minho will never fail to make his heart swell. 

he gives him a peck on the lips, arms tightening around his waist and his lips brushing against minho's when he speaks next,

"i know, and i love you too," he kisses him again, minho's lips warm and sweet against his, "i love you so much, more than anything." 

the tip of minho's ears are red, and his hands are fidgeting in that way he does when he wants to cover his face but refrains from doing so. he drops a gentle kiss on the tip of felix's nose and smiles again.

he knows there's still some of this conversation left, that there are things they should discuss seriously, for both of their peace of mind, but for now he's content with simply holding his boyfriend close and stealing kisses to make him laugh and blush, loving the way his eyes shine and gaze back at him with the same fondness that's filling his chest and it hurt in the best possible way. 

**Author's Note:**

> uhmm and at last i come back to this with a small minlix sequel...yeah so the minsung got out of hand??? for some??? reason?? ig my brain cannot comprehend a world were they arent soulmates so yeah sorry for that??? also first time i ever wrote in felix's pov oof


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